1. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s
“Take The A Train”
Billy Strayhorn for the Duke Ellington Orchestra
You must take the A train To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the A train You'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now it's coming Listen to those rails a-humming
All aboard, get on the A train Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem

2. What is it?
The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African American social thought which was expressed through
Paintings
Music
Dance
Theater
Literature

3. The island of Manhattan
Where is Harlem?
The island of Manhattan
Neighborhoods
New York City is on Manhattan island

4. Where was the Harlem Renaissance centered?
Centered in the Harlem district of New York City, the New Negro Movement (as it was called at the time) had a major influence across the Unites States and even the world.

5. How did it impact history?
The Harlem Renaissance helped to redefine how Americans and the world understood African American culture. It integrated black and white cultures, and marked the beginning of a black urban society.
The Harlem Renaissance set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s.

6. Who do we associate with the Harlem Renaissance?
Artists such as Jacob Lawrence
Authors such as Langston Hughes
Musicians such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith

7. Jacob Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence grew up in a settlement house in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance
Lawrence's parents were among those who migrated between , considered the first wave of the migration.
His own life in Harlem and the struggle of other Black Americans inspired his earliest work.

8. Lawrence’s Work
Jacob Lawrence painted his Great Migration series during the 1940s to capture the experience of African Americans during the 1920s

9. Jacob Lawrence
Painter
His parents migrated North.
Painted scenes of his own background in Harlem and the hard life of black Americans in the 1920s.
The Great Migration series is his most recognized work.

10. Langston Hughes
Hughes is known for his insightful, and realistic portrayals of American black life.
He wrote poetry, short stories, novels, and plays, and is known for his involvement with the world of jazz.
His life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s.

11. Langston Hughes
Poet and Author
Wrote poetry, short stories, novels, and plays about the black experience.
Known for his colorful, realistic portrayals of black life in America.

12. Duke Ellington
Ellington was a jazz composer, conductor, and performer during the Harlem Renaissance.
During the formative Cotton Club years, Ellington would be among the first to focus on musical form and composition in jazz.
Ellington wrote over 2,000 pieces in his lifetime.

13. The Cotton Club
The Duke Ellington Orchestra was the "house" orchestra for a number of years at the Cotton Club. The revues featured glamorous dancing girls, acclaimed tap dancers, vaudeville performers, and comics. All the white world came to Harlem to see the show.
The first Cotton Club revue was in There were two new fast paced revues produced a year for at least 16 years.

14. Duke Ellington
Composer/Conductor
Composed and performed over 2,000 songs during the Harlem Renaissance.
To hear Duke Ellington, click the link.

15. Louis “Satchmo”Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was a jazz composer and trumpet player during the Harlem Renaissance.
He is widely recognized as a founding father of jazz.
He appeared in 30 films and averaged 300 concerts per year, performing for both kids on the street and heads of state.

16. Louis Armstrong
Composer/Trumpeter
Composer, trumpet player and singer during the Harlem Renaissance.
Widely recognized as a founding father of jazz.
To hear Louis Armstrong, click the link.

17. Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was a famous jazz and blues singer during the Harlem Renaissance.
Smith recorded with many of the great Jazz musicians of the 1920s, including Louis Armstrong.
Smith was popular with both blacks and whites.

18. Bessie Smith
Jazz & Blues Singer
Famous jazz and blues singer during the Harlem Renaissance.
Popular with both blacks and whites.
To hear Bessie Smith, click the link.

19. Questions to think about:
1. What do you see?
2. What people do you see?
3. How does this painting relate to the Harlem Renaissance?
“Ascent from Ethiopia,” Louis Mailou Jones. 1932

20. Harlem Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred?
      Does it dry up
      like a raisin in the sun?
      Or fester like a sore—
      And then run?
      Does it stink like rotten meat?
      Or crust and sugar over—
      like a syrupy sweet?
      Maybe it just sags
      like a heavy load.
      Or does it explode?
What do you notice about this poem, including poetic devices and theme? Record 5 thoughts on your notes sheet.

21. Harlem: Key Events/Places
Describe the following events/places in Harlem by researching them:
-Porgy
-the Savoy Ballroom
-the Cotton Club
-a Harlem “rent party”
-Vaudeville Comedy Club